U.S. Students Burst with Creativity in Pursuit of $10,000 Grand Prize

ELMWOOD PARK, N.J., Nov. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifteen student inventors from around the country are now one pop closer to earning the coveted crown of Top Inventor in the third annual Bubble Wrap(R) Competition for Young Inventors. Sealed Air Corporation (NYSE: SEE), the creator of Bubble Wrap(R) brand cushioning and sponsor of the annual competition, today announced the names of the 15 semi-finalists whose inventions most impressed the judges out of more than two thousand entries.

The Bubble Wrap(R) Competition for Young Inventors encourages U.S. students in grades 5 through 8 to demonstrate their ingenuity by designing an invention incorporating the use of Bubble Wrap(R) brand cushioning for the chance to win a grand prize of a $10,000 savings bond. Young inventors were invited to submit original inventions along with a visual and written description that included the name of the invention, the purpose it serves, how it works and how the idea was formulated.

The 15 semi-finalists will vie for a spot as one of three finalists that will be announced in early January 2009. The finalists will be flown to New York City, along with a family member, for a three-day trip, where the grand prize winner will be announced on Bubble Wrap(R) Appreciation Day (January 26, 2009). The Grand Prize Winner of the competition will receive a $10,000 U.S. savings bond, while the second and third place winners will receive $5,000 and $3,000 U.S. savings bonds, respectively.